The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-09-13
FARMS AND FARMERS.
Short Talks With the Men Who
Guide the PlOW.
QUESTIONS ON FARM TOPICSANSWERED


cent date occur, and crops on bottom lands
suffer, we are prone to go to extremes and
greatly undervalue them. These lands may
be divided into three classes: those too wet for
corn or cotton; those subject to overflow, es-
pecially from backwater, and those which are
overfowed in such a manner as to be badly
secured or washed or covered with sand.
What should be done with the first class,
wet bottoms? We spring this question now,
because this is the best time in the year to
study drainingi.practically i'll TIL field. The
supply of water in the earth is approaching Its
minimum. This is shown by the failure of
wells that are not supplied by bold
"veins 's Springs also are comparatively weak
This is true of those underground springs
which do not come out boldly to the surface,
but expend themselves in spreading through
the soil around them, and keeping them too
wet. Now this wetting of the soil being re-
duced in area, by the limited flow of water in
the spring, the exact position of the latter can
be much more easily located than it can be in
winter and spring when the land generally is
wet, and water from underground springs diff
fuss itself much more widely. Go over wet
bottoms therefore in the late autumn months
and mark all the wet points. These will be
very apt to oyerlie the hidden springs.
This is the first step,to be taken. The next is
TO devise means for securing requisite depths
of main ditch or stream, if not
already present. Not less than four feet should
be aimed at. A deep main ditch is the essen
tial condition for draining bottom land sue
cessfully. four-foot deep main ditch allows
a gradual slope to the bottom of side, or sec
ondary ditcAes, and these may be three feet
deep therefore, at some distance from the
main ditch A drain ditch should always be
three feet deep at its shallowest point, If posi-
bic. The water level, or water line, i'll the
soil will always be some nearer the surface
than the bottom of the drain ditch. You cam
not lower it fully to bottom of ditch.
Now, surprising main ditch sufficiently deep,
and springs located, the next step is to cut
side bitches or drains so as to tap the springs.
The plan we have found most success
full, is to cut the drains from springs or foot OF
hill, obliquely across the bottom so as to strike
the main ditch at an angle of about 10 degrees
of course pointing down stream. The num-
Der requisite will of course vary. One Tor each
spring, if these are present, in the absence OF
well washed springs. at distance OF thirty 10
fifty feet apart, according to wetness OF SOIL
Other things being equal, the deeper the drains,
the father apart they may be- But II the land
is at all wet in spring they should never be
more than fifty feet apart.
But suppose the main ditch or stream can
not be gotten deeper than foot and half to
wofeet. What then? Do not undertake to
drain the land: YOU will be sure to fail. Put
il down in grass. Herds grass or red top
will grow on wet bottoms admir-
ably-indeed better than anywhere else. Ber-
muda also will do well on them, and if the
soil is rich, will grow tail enough to be moved,
and make most excellent hay. Don't try to
cultivate these wet bottoms in corn, making a
small, sickly stalk, with perhaps nubbin on
it. The grass crop will be worth ten times as
much as the corn, without any labor OF cultl-
walton after it has been well established.
Clear, clean up and grub thoroughly all the
wet bottoms on your farm. Do it now, whilst
they are comparatively dry, and may be, at
least scratched over with the plow, and then
seed down in grass II weeds come up in the
spring, NOW them down before they get large
enough to smother the grass. Two or three
mowings during the season will get rid OF
them very effectualiy. Do not be led away
with the idea that the grass needs shade, and
let the weeds grow. The grass needs all the
soil. and its share of air and sunlight too
The second class of bottoms, those that are
washed or secured by rains; what shall be
done about them? The trouble may be avert
ed in part by establishing barbados at the
narrowest points where the hills int in. The
velocity Of the water can be checked by them,
and instead Of securing deposit of rich sedi-
ment secured. These barricades may be made
bv driving willow stakes in double rows and
filling in between with legs, brush, etc. The
willows will grow and ultimately
make living barrier. Another precaution we
have found valuable for ordinary freshets is to
defer breaking such lands till late in the spring
Just as late as planting may be put
of, and thus decrease the risk of injury from
heavy spring rains. Unplowed land is not
secured near so badly as that which is plowed.
Another precaution is to sow in rye at the last
blowing of corn (Which is usually late on bot
tom land) and let it cover and bind the soil
during winter and spring. But the barbados
should be our chief reliance. For moderate
rains large ditch will serve to carry off the
water without its overhowing the land, but
rainfalls occur every year or two which no
reasonable ditch would guard against and tits
about these we are now speaking. The sub
iect will be resumed next week. w. Il. j.
Mr., Fl. f. B., Columbus, Ca. writes us at
some length, commenting upon the impract-
cabilitv of advice given Ii. IL. j., Midtown,
Alabama, in The CONSTITUTION of August
10th. In said issue Mr.. j. is represented as
stating that he has 203 acres Of land near
his house that he desires to put in grass for
pasture. We have not his manuscript but think
he said OF 3 acres. and by mistake it was
printed 2O3 acres. Mr.. B. in his letter to us
raises the figures to 208, illustrating how easily
mistakes are made. We advised Mr.. j, to APP
ply so two-horse loads Of manure per acre and
In addition a certain amount Of commercial
fertilizers insisting that grass (wintcr) will not
succeed on poor land. Allowing the number
of acres to be 20S, Mr.. p. undertakes to calcu-
late how many loads Of stable manure would
be needed and how many tons OF fertilizers,
and how long it would take one wagon to haul
fertilizers, and the inability Of the county in
which Midtown is located to supply stable
manure enough, and SO on. AS stated above
our impression is that the number of acres was
2or 3, and it would have been easy for Mr.. b.
to carry out our advice. But if the fl CURES had
been 203, our advice as to how to set in grass
would have been precisely the same. The
mode prescribed is the only successful one
known at present, and if inquirer has not
means to fulfill his desires, he must limit his
undertaking to suit his means. We assume
that our readers have common sense.
w. L. J.